


We'll meet again

by freckled_flowers



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Character Death, Evil, Friendship, Gen, M/M, Magic, Memory Alteration, Men Crying, Possession, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 18:21:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29458170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/freckled_flowers/pseuds/freckled_flowers
Summary: Karl just wanted them to be safe. That was all he ever wanted. As he looks around the room filled with unforetold stories of his travels through time, the feeling that he would do absolutely anything to fix all of the pain and loss flooding this world becomes so entirely present.Karl knew that he wouldn’t stop until everything was right.He couldn’t.Even if it meant losing himself, as long as everyone was okay…He would be too.
Relationships: Alexis | Quackity/Karl Jacobs/Sapnap, Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream & Karl Jacobs & Ranboo, Clay | Dream & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Karl Jacobs & Everyone, Ranboo & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Sam | Awesamdude & Sapnap, Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit
Comments: 4
Kudos: 34





	1. Keep smiling through

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! So time travel Karl is currently my favorite thing and I got an idea for a story, so tada, here it is. I hope you like it and just a reminder that this is about the characters of the canonical smp and not the actual people ! Happy reading!!
> 
> Word count: 4,892  
> :)

Karl closes the book and places it down, his fingers twitching over the cover as he stares down at it. 

Don't forget who you are. 

Don't forget who you are?

He breathes in deeply, looking around the small room crowded with books, thoughts flashing through his mind so quickly he can barely acknowledge them. 

In a daze, he leaves the room and enters the front of the library, not really sure of what he's doing until he's outside squinting in the sunlight. 

What was he doing again? 

He folds his hands in front of himself and looks around, his eyes floating over the wooded buildings before him and the crater that they're built upon. 

What was this place called again?

Karl blinks at it, a part of him pulling at the fact that he should know this place. But he just can't remember. He turns and feels a weight shift against his chest, the movement bringing his hand up to touch the locket around his neck. 

Oh.

He forgot that was there. 

Pulling it forward so he can look at it, Karl clicks open the lock and his eyes widen when it reveals a picture. A picture of three people, one of which he recognizes to be himself. 

The other two however, they look fuzzy. Almost blurred. He rubs at his eyes and stares back down at the locket, the once blurred faces now clear. 

"What?" He asks himself, bringing the locket closer so he can see it better. The feeling that he's missing something returns and settles deeply in his gut. He shifts uncomfortably on his feet, a slight sweat breaking out across his forehead as he stares at the picture. 

He should know them. 

He knows that he should. 

But again… he can't remember. 

"Remember…" Karl mutters to himself, clicking the locket closed and holding it against his chest. He looks around and starts walking away from the library in a direction that seems… right, "Remember what?" 

His walk starts slow, but the more he passes things that bring about that same feeling, the more his pace increases until he's practically running. His thoughts scramble through his head, flashing memories for a split second and then going dark before Karl can grab a hold of them. 

Frustrated, he stops abruptly and puts his hands on the back of his head, turning in circles as he breathes heavily. 

Why can't he remember?

What does he need to remember? 

"Come on, come on think," Karl pleads with himself, digging the palms of his hands into his eyes, "Just remember!" 

"Karl!" 

The traveler snaps his head up at the sound of his name, turning violently towards the direction it came from. He feels his heart drop at the sight of the two other people he recognizes from his locket approaching him. 

He shakes out his hands at his sides, his feet rooted to the spot as he watches them grow closer. 

What does he do?

What does he say?

"Karlos! Where have you been?" One of them asks as he bounds up to him, a smile on his face. Karl takes note of the beanie he's wearing.

He blinks a couple of times, his mouth opening and closing as he searches for what to say. The way their expressions change makes Karl realise all too late that he hadn't responded to the beanie guy.

"Karl?" The other asks, bringing Karl's attention over to him. 

Fire?

Why does he recognize the flame? 

Karl blinks again, "Um.." 

Beanie guy steps towards him, the action causing Karl to abruptly step back, panic coursing through him. He feels a pang in his chest as the other stares back at him, his expression laced with hurting confusion, "Hey… are you okay?" 

The way the two look and how they are standing before him makes Karl just know that they must care about him. 

And he has to care about them too, right? 

"I.. I'm sorry," His voice barely comes out as a whisper, his chest tightening as his memories scatter throughout his mind, unable to be caught and understood. 

"Karl.." The fire one starts softly, slowly moving towards him. This time he doesn't move back, "What.. what are you sorry for- did something happen?" 

The absolute concern coating his voice makes Karl want to cry. He feels hot tears fill his eyes. 

But yet, he doesn't understand why. Why is he sad? 

"I just… I don't…" Karl's throat tightens, closing off his attempt at trying to form an explanation. The tears bubble over and spill down his face, his breath hitching. 

"Oh, Karl," Flame guy whispers as he gently encloses him in a hug, one hand laced comfortingly in his hair. 

Karl tenses, unsure of what to do, his head feeling like it's about to explode with the internal battle he's having with his mind. 

But the way he's being held… how safe he feels… it's almost as if his arms move by themselves as he returns the hug, completely sinking into the other. 

He feels relief, almost like he's unloading all the stress and frustration with himself into the hug. 

How does that work? 

Why does it work? 

He feels a hand cup his cheek and wipe away his tears, causing him to open his eyes and blink at the person doing so. He notices the beanie first. 

Why does he always wear that beanie? 

Karl blinks. He stares at the concerned face looking back at him, a sense of recognition fueling throughout his head. 

He pulls back slightly from the one holding him, just enough so that he still has a grip on his arms. 

He knew that he always wore that beanie. 

He remembered that. 

"Are you okay?" Beanie guy asks quietly, his hand falling down to hold on to Karl's arm. He can feel the warmth of his hand through his sweatshirt. 

Karl looks between the two and then his eyes flutter to the ground, his shoulders heavy, "I… I want to say yes, but… something tells me I shouldn't lie to you," He responds softly and slowly, carefully picking his words as if the wrong ones would throw what little he had left off balance. 

"What's wrong?" The flame asks, his voice so entirely comforting and welcoming that Karl just wants to melt into it and never have to get up.

He subconsciously squeezes the arms he's holding on to, "I don't-" his breath hitches and he closes his eyes tightly, "I can't remember.." His voice is barely audible. 

There's a bit of silence that fills Karl with dread. 

"What don't you remember?" The beanie one asks, his hand moving to rub Karl's back. 

The way these two seem to know exactly how to unnerve him sticks in his mind, building up a strong feeling of how badly he wants to remember them. 

"You," he squeaks out, cringing at how his voice cracks on the single word. He shrinks in on himself, his eyes shut tightly and his head turned away from them. 

There's more silence and it makes Karl want to dig himself into a hole and never come out of it. 

"Karl… Karl, look at me," He feels a hand touch under his chin gently and lifts his face up so that he's looking into the eyes of the raven haired boy. 

Oh.

He knows those eyes. 

He knows them.

"What happened?" He asks, his eyes swimming with emotion. 

Karl shakes his head and looks away again, "I… I don't know if- if I can…" He bites his lip and feels his frustration at the situation bubbling up inside him. 

"What do you mean you can't?" Beanie guy questions, a slight tang to his voice that makes Karl want to shrink away. 

"Quackity," The fire one warns, shooting the other a look that Karl doesn't miss. 

"Q-Quackity?" The name feels familiar on his tongue. 

The boy widens his eyes slightly, "Y-yeah. That's me," He smiles slightly, his hand moving up to rest on Karl's shoulder. 

Quackity. 

This is Quackity. 

He knows him.

"I know you…" Karl mumbles, almost to himself but loud enough for the two to hear. 

Quackity's smile grows slightly, "Y-you do! We're uh- we're close, really really close." 

Karl hums. 

He turns to the other, "Wh-what about you?" 

The fire guy blinks, "Oh, uh, I-I'm Sapnap. I'm your.. well it's uh- I'm-" 

A flash. 

Karl gasps and steps back slightly, his eyes wide, "You're my fiance? Y-you both are?" 

Sapnap's eyes go wide and it's only then that Karl notices the tears coating them. He watches as they spill over and trail down his face. Karl reaches forward and wipes them away with his thumb, the action feeling… right.

Reaching up, Sapnap takes hold of Karl's hand that had rested against his cheek, "Do you remember me?" 

Karl stared at him, everything in his being wanting him to say yes and completely, wholeheartedly mean it… but he couldn't. 

Shaking his head slightly, his heart breaks at how Sapnap's face falls. He starts to release Karl's hand but the brunette grabs a hold of it tightly, "But I know that I know you… I-I know that." 

There's a small amount of relief that crosses Sapnap's face. 

"But you don't remember us… do you?" Quackity asks, bringing Karl's attention to him. He looks… sad.

Karl frowns, the frustration returning. He doesn't want to see these two like this, especially not because of him.

Never because of him. 

He shakes his head but reaches out so that he's holding both of their hands, "No… but I-I can show you something that might help- help you understand." 

The two share a look but fall in line on either side of Karl as he begins leading them to the library. 

"I don't know if I've shown you this before, but what I do know is that you two clearly mean a lot to me so… I think it would be okay if I showed you it all," Karl explained, his words tumbling out of his mouth as he searched for the need to at least feel like he knew what he was talking about. 

He couldn't remember a lot, but what he did know was what happened in the library. 

"Your library? Karl, we've seen this before," Quackity told him when they made it to the front of the small building. 

Karl turned to him, "But have you seen all of it?" 

Quackity lets out a small huff of a laugh, "Karl, it's not that big- there's not much to see." 

His answer was enough for Karl to conclude that, no, they haven't seen the entirety of the library. 

He grins a little at the thought and leads them inside. 

"Karl, hon, how is this supposed to help us help you?" Sapnap asks, looking around the small library with not much hope. 

"Well, you could try letting me actually take you to the place we need to go, for starters," Karl states, leaning against the wall and halfway pulling out a book. The wall lets out a rumble before sliding back and behind the other bookcase, revealing a doorway. Karl motions towards it, "Ta-da." 

Quackity and Sapnap stare at it in shock, there gazes flickering between Karl and the now very clear doorway. 

"Karl.. what- what is this- what the fuck-" Quackity stutters out, his hands motioning towards the entrance desperately. 

"I'll show you," And with that, Karl slips behind the bookcases and disappears down the hall it had opened up to.

He hears a scramble of words before hearing the pair stumble after him. 

Karl enters the room and surveys the books lining the walls, turning around just in time to catch his fiance's tumbling into the room, their eyes wide and faces flushed. 

"Well? What do you think?" Karl asks, a feeling blooming in his chest that he wants to hold on to forever as he watches the two stare at the room, their expressions nothing but wonder. 

"Karl…" Sapnap breathes out, running a hand through his hair, "What is this place?" 

Humming, Karl lifts up one of his old diaries, running his hand over the cover, "It's… it's the main reason I created the library." 

"And what would that reason be?" Quackity asks, his attention now drawn to the posters on the far left wall, "That's… Karl, that's you, isn't it?" 

"Y-yeah. Those are all the places I've been to so far, they're pretty neat, huh?" Karl beams a little, placing back his diary. 

Quackity nods, still looking over the pictures, his eyes shining. 

A hand on his shoulder makes Karl turn, his eyes meeting Sapnap's as he does, "Hey." 

"Karl… what is this all about, really? W-what are those places- what are all these books? Does- does this all have to do with you not remembering us- are you okay?" Sapnap's questions spill out of his mouth faster than Karl can comprehend them, the concern in the other's voice bringing about that same feeling of uneasiness from before. 

"Yeah, is everything okay with you, Karl?" Quackity walks over to him, reaching out and gently touching his arm. 

Karl's gaze flicks in between them, his mind rattling over what he could possibly say to them for them to understand completely. He settles on taking hold of both of their hands and taking a deep breath, "Okay… what I'm about to tell you, you can't freak out and please, please don't be mad, alright?" 

Quackity and Sapnap share a look before turning to Karl and nodding, "We promise." 

Breathing in deeply once more, Karl begins to tell his story. 

-

They're all sitting on the ground by the time Karl is finished. His mouth is dry and the events of the day are finally weighing down on him. He has his hands folded tightly in his lap, the skin dry and rough from him wringing them out during his explanation. 

"So… do you have any questions?" He asks awkwardly, unsure of what to say as he stares at his fiance's expressions, not entirely sure of what to make of them. 

The frustration returns again with the thought of if he just remembered them then he would be able to read them better, but for now he's still stuck in the dark. 

Quackity breaks the silence first, "You… can travel… through time. You're a time traveler," He stares up at Karl, his voice void of emotion as he processes what was told to him. 

Karl nods, "Yeah, but as of right now it's kind of… weird, I guess. I mean, I can't really travel willingly- like it'll just randomly pull me away to a certain place in time. I have no say in it really, and that's why I disappear from time to time." 

Quackity nods along with his words, "Okay… h-how come you've never told us before?" 

Wringing his hands again, Karl looks at the ceiling, "Uh… well it's still pretty new to me and um, I technically wasn't supposed to tell anyone. No one is supposed to know that I can do this because it could create problems and stuff…" He trails off, his gaze falling back down to the floor as he tries to swallow the lump in his throat. 

He's sure that if he could just remember then this sad excuse for an explanation would be infinitely better. 

But again, he can't. 

Or… he won't. 

He's unsure.

"Is it dangerous?" Sapnap's voice is quiet. So quiet that it's surprising. Karl looks up at him and is met with a look that breaks him.

"Oh, um…" He thinks of what to say. 

Of course it is. 

Of course travelling through time to unknown places at unknown instances is dangerous. 

Why wouldn't it be?

"It… can be, but for the most part it's not," Karl answers, carefully picking his words so as to not lie, but at the same time hide Sapnap from the full truth. 

The truth is that everytime he travels, he doesn't know if he'll come back. 

Sapnap frowns, his expression alone telling Karl that he doesn't completely believe him, "Okay… I trust you to be smart about this but… you would tell us if anything really had happened, right?" 

"You mean like him just completely forgetting who we are?" Quackity snaps all of a sudden, bringing both Karl and Sapnap's attention to him, their eyes wide. 

“Quackity…" Sapnap starts but Quackity cuts him off with a shake of his head, "Sorry. I'm sorry, I didn't mean for that to come out the way it did, I'm sorry," He sighs and rubs his eyes. 

"I'm just worried, Karl. I'm so fucking worried about you that it's like- it's like I can't breathe- or- or focus, I don't know," Quackity puts his head in his hands, his shoulders slumped. 

Karl stares at him, his entire being itching to just take him up in a hug and tell him that everything would be alright. 

Everything would be just fine. 

But he knew that was a lie. 

Funny how he remembers that.

The room settles into silence, nothing heard but their breathing. Karl can feel the skin wearing away on his hands from how hard he's been pulling on them, the skin red and irritated. 

He looks in between the two beside him and gets an idea, "I went to the future this time." 

Sapnap looks at him, "You did?" 

Karl nods, "Yeah. It was pretty cool, actually. Before I only went to the past." 

"What was it like?" Quackity's voice is muffled from behind his hands. Karl looks down at him and wraps his arm around his back, his chest swelling when Quackity leans into it. 

"It was… beautiful. It was an entire underwater city and it was so intricately built- it was unlike anything that I have ever seen before, truly. At first it was just… it was so magical," Karl smiles a little at the memory, what he felt in those first few hours of exploring and having fun swarming up inside him. 

"Why only at first?" Sapnap asks, inching closer to Karl so that their sides are touching. He finds it comforting. 

Karl looks back at Sapnap, "There was a man there. He was in charge of everything and as our time there went on, he became more and more weird and… just off, you know? I don't think he was right in the head, what with being down there alone for so long…" He trails off, his eyes flicking up to the picture of the city. 

Quackity sits up, his face tinted pink, "Then what happened?" His eyes show the same curiosity as that of a child hearing a story at bedtime. 

"He… he lost it. He said that no one ever leaves the city and then he just…" Karl swallows and shifts uncomfortably, the screams still fresh in his mind. 

Sapnap picks up on his change in demeanor and takes hold of his hand, squeezing it tightly. Karl shoots him a grateful glance before continuing, "He killed all of them. One by one, just saying over and over that no one leaves… no one leaves," Karl stares at the floor, his voice quiet and dazed sounding. 

"I'm sorry you had to see that," Quackity tells him softly, his head resting on Karl's shoulder as he rubbed his arm. 

Karl let out a breath, "That's the thing, though. This time I didn't just watch it, it was like I was actually there- as if I were one of the fishermen exploring the city. It… it felt so real." 

"So did you… did you feel what… happened?" Sapnap asks, his question somewhat vague but Karl understood what he was alluding to. 

Shaking his head, Karl squeezed Sapnap's hand, "No. He came at me with a sword and then suddenly I was back here. I think that's why my memory is so much more messed up this time, because-" 

"Because you died. Technically," Quackity states bluntly, lifting his head off of Karl's shoulder in order to look at him, his eyes sad. 

"Quackity…" 

"That's what you're thinking though, isn't it? It's because you died in the future as someone else and now your memories all fucked. Look me in the eye and tell me that's not what you're thinking," Quackity's voice was loaded with heat, but his expression showed nothing but concern. 

It made Karl want to cry. 

"That could be why," He answers, his voice barely audible. Quackity sighs and squeezes Karl's hand. He runs his thumb over it a couple of times, "I just hate that it's hurting you… that's all, I promise I'm not mad." 

Karl lets out a breath, "I know." 

"Karl?" Sapnap brings Karl's attention back to him, "How- how long has it been hurting your memory." 

Karl blinks. He hums as he thinks about it, "Only about… a couple of weeks now, I think." 

"A couple of weeks?" Sapnap gapes, his eyes wide, "And you didn't think to tell us?"

Karl huffs, "Well of course I thought about it but I couldn't!" Suddenly his voice was rising. 

And so did Sapnap's, "Oh yeah, sure you couldn't. What, were you sworn to secrecy or something? By what?" 

"I don't know, I just-" Karl begins, his heart beating faster and faster. 

"You don't know?" Sapnap asks, no longer holding his hand. The sudden coldness pulls at Karl's heart, his mind racing as he tries to figure out what to say. 

"Sapnap, let's not-" Quackity tries but Sapnap cuts him off, "Karl, how could you possibly think that it would be okay if you just didn't tell anyone anything. What- what if something had happened, something bad and no one knew because you just kept it all up inside you! How could you think that would be okay?" Sapnap was practically yelling at this point, pushing himself off of the bookcases so that he could stand, his face going red. 

"I- I don't know, I thought that-" Karl stood and suddenly Sapnap was in his face, "No! Okay? The thing is that you didn't think! You have people here who care about you- who love you and who would be destroyed if something happened to you and you just went on travelling through time without a care or thought about others-" Karl pushed Sapnap back, causing the other to stumble. 

"Don't you dare say that! Of course I thought about you- you were all I thought of! Both of you are the one thing that I wanted- needed to remember, okay? The only reason I'm doing all of this in the first place is for YOU!" Karl yelled, his face hot as he opened his locket and shoved it in Sapnap's face, his breathing heavy and uneven. 

"I'm doing this to make things right. I- I need to make things right. For you a-and for everyone," Karl's breath hitched and it was only then that he noticed the tears staining his face. He watched as Sapnap took the locket in his hand and stared at it, his expression twisting and falling. The room was filled with heated silence as he looked down at it, holding it tightly in his hand.

He looked up at Karl, his eyes shining with unshed tears, "I-I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled," His voice was nothing more than a whisper. 

Karl felt his shoulders fall, the fight in him suddenly gone. He said nothing but fell forward, his head landing on Sapnap's chest. 

He sunk into it as the other wrapped his arms around him. A second later Quackity joined the hug, the three of them interlocked with one another in the center of the library. 

"I'm careful about it, you know," Karl mumbled, his voice muffled by Sapnap's shirt. He felt the boy chuckle, "I don't doubt it." 

Karl hugged them both tighter, squeezing his eyes shut as his head pounded. It felt as though someone were hammering it with a mallet over again and again and again. His tight hold on the two around him started as an action of comfort but Karl found himself hanging on to them quite literally, completely certain that if he let go he would fall. 

He grunted in pain as the noise in his head grew, the pressure building up inside of him. There's a sound, kind of like a name that he thinks comes from him but he doesn't have time to figure it out before the world tilts sideways. 

"Karl!" Sapnap? He sounds so far. Too far.

Karl tries to open his eyes but the room is spinning violently, the feeling of the floor beneath his hands being the only indicator that he is now on the ground. 

Despite his eyes being closed, all Karl can see are flashes of bright lights- memories scattering throughout his head, wanting nothing more than to be caught. 

Karl reaches out with a yell of desperation, his head pounding so loud that he firmly believes that it will explode. He hears screams that are so entirely loud they bring him to the ground, falling hard on his side. 

There's muffled shouts behind all of the screams, but he can't find them. The only feeling being that of agonizing pain shooting through his body, paralyzing him on the ground. 

Hands on him make him shout, begging them to get off and let him out. 

Let him out-

Let him out!

"LET ME OUT!" He screams, clawing at his head, being able to process nothing but the overwhelming flashes and screams. 

Suddenly there's a loud bang, almost like an explosion. He hears screams again- a word this time.

L'man… 

L'man what? 

His voice catches in his throat and his eyes open wide, "L'manburg!" He shouts, sitting up violently. 

Flashes of his memories swarm into his mind. 

L'manburg. Fighting. Withers. Screams. Pleas for it all to stop. Swords hitting swords. 

Cries for help.

Blood. 

Death. 

All of it. 

His memories hit him full force, sending him falling to his back, his eyes wide. 

Karl can't breathe, his hands clawing at his chest as his eyes shoot around. 

Where is he? 

Where is he? 

Where is-

"Karl!" His eyes finally lock on to something. 

On to someone. 

He stares up at dark blue eyes, nothing else relevant around them except that deep color. 

"Are you with us?" Sapnap asks from above him, his hands cupping the sides of Karl's face. 

Us? 

Who's us? 

Karl's eyes flick to the left and are met with another pair of eyes, ones that mirror the same concerned, panic expression of the other, "Karl?" Quackity asks, his hands wrapped around Karl's. 

Closing his eyes, Karl takes in a deep breath, his head still pounding but less so. He reopens his eyes, still trying to understand what just happened. 

"Are you okay?" Sapnap asks, his voice sounding like honey compared to the screams and cries that Karl could still distantly hear. 

Nodding, Karl grips Quackity and Sapnap's hands, holding them tightly as they help him sit up. He closes his eyes again, the room spinning slightly. 

A hand rubbing circles on his back eases him. He takes in a deep breath and lets it out slowly, trying to ignore how it shakes. 

Karl blinks and squeezes the hands he was holding, letting them know that he was there. 

"You okay?" Quackity questions gently, sitting down in front of him. Karl nods, still trying to steady his breathing. 

Sapnap continues rubbing his back, "What just happened to you?" Karl looks over at him, completely exhausted, "I remembered," was all he was able to say before collapsing against Sapnap.

-

He woke to the sound of birds chirping in the distance. It felt as though his eyelids were loaded with cement as he pries them open, feeling nothing but complete and utter exhaustion. Karl could see the distant glow of the setting sun coming through the library windows drifting into the room. He moves to stretch but stops when he feels the weight on either side of him. 

Looking down, he smiles to himself when he notices the two figures sleeping against him. Quackity was leaning against his shoulder, his hands holding onto Karl’s arm while Sapnap was laying with his head in Karl’s lap, his body curled in on himself. He cards his fingers through Sapnap’s hair as he rests his head on Quackity’s.

His newly regained memories circle through his head, the ache of it all still abundantly present and pounding. Karl’s eyes drift over all of the books surrounding them, holding the tales of all of his adventures and those yet to come. He holds on tighter to the two resting against him, completely content with holding them, just to know that they are completely there and real. 

Real to him. 

And safe. 

He just wanted them to be safe. That was all he ever wanted. As he looks around the room filled with unforetold stories of his travels through time, the feeling that he would do absolutely anything to fix all of the pain and loss flooding this world becomes so entirely present. 

Karl knew that he wouldn’t stop until everything was right. 

He couldn’t.

Even if it meant losing himself, as long as everyone was okay…

As long as the two in his arms were okay… 

He would be too.


	2. Just like you always do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Word count: 8,316  
> :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo! I've decided that all these chapters are gonna be long so I hope that's cool !  
> Enjoy !

“And you’re sure that you’re okay?” Sapnap questions yet again, holding onto Karl’s arm. Karl sighs, nodding his head, “I am, I promise. It was just a lot, that’s all.”

“Do you think it might happen again?” Quackity asks, the quietness coating his voice so unlike him that Karl wanted to crumble. His first experiences with time travel and the absolute thrill and excitement he had felt circled through his mind, the memory hurting his chest as he looks around at what it was like now. 

He gave Quackity a reassuring look, “There’s no way to tell but I know that it’ll be easier if it does ever happen again, considering that I’ve already gone through it.”

His fiance’s share unconvinced looks. Karl lets out a breath and grabs both of their hands, holding them tightly, “Nothing is going to happen to me. I promise.”

“How do you know that?” Sapnap questions, concern and frustration etching into his voice. Karl searches for what to say, a feeling and a thought crossing his mind, “I- Look, when I travel, it’s unexpected, but it’s never scary. Whenever I go, wherever I go, it always feels like someone is watching out for me. I don’t think I’m entirely alone when it happens and I think whatever is there with me isn't going to let anything happen to me, okay? You have my word,” The explanation he spewed out only felt half true. 

In all honesty, Karl knew that there was something greater behind what was happening with him, he just didn’t know what it was. Or quite possibly, who. 

The two still look unconvinced, but Karl felt a bit of relief at how their expressions relaxed slightly. 

“Okay… just, promise me you’ll be careful?” Sapnap asks, Quackity nodding along, “Yeah, don’t go out of your way to do anything super risky or-”

“Hey,” Karl squeezes their hands, “I promise. Completely, I do,” He pulls them into a hug, holding them tighter than he ever had before, knowing wholeheartedly that they needed it. 

“Now, let’s get out of here, okay? It’s getting a little stuffy,” Karl breathes out a laugh as Sapnap chuckles, “Alright, Karl.”

The three exit the small room, Karl pausing for a moment to ensure that it was secure before they all left the library. It was night and the air was crisp and cool. 

“How long were we in there?” Quackity asks, staring up at the fully risen moon. 

Sapnap stretches and scratches the back of his neck, “Long enough for everything to be completely desolate- hey, look I’m starving so why don’t we get some food and then head home? Does that sound good?” 

The subtle switch back to some normalcy made Karl’s heart swell, “That sounds beyond good,” He grabs Sapnap’s hand and leans into him as they begin walking, his other hand dragging Quackity along. 

“If you don’t stop trying to stargaze then you’re going to run into something, Q,” Sapnap comments, chuckling as Quackity stumbles over his feet, “Yeah, whatever. The sky just looks so fucking good tonight.”

“The way you said that made it sound like you wanted to get it on with the sky,” Sapnap laughs, his nose and cheeks tinted red with the cold. Quackity made a sound that pushes Karl into a fit of giggling as he watches his fiance search for what to say, finally landing on, “Well, I- man, fuck you, okay?” 

The three dissolve into laughter, bumping into one another as they walk along the path back to their home. Quackity reaches over and hits the back of Sapnap’s head, “You’re an idiot, you know that?” 

Sapnap chuckles, “And you aren’t?” 

Quackity’s eyes widen, “I- hey, asshole!” He lets go of Karl’s hand and lunges at Sapnap, the two falling to the ground as Karl places his head in his hands, his laughter hurting his stomach. He looks up at the sky, their bickering seeming to fade to the background as he stares at the moon, feeling so much more whole and put together than only a couple of hours before. 

Funny how quickly something can change.  
He looks back down at his fiance’s with a fond smile, but something not too far away catches his eyes. Karl squints at it and notices the fant glint of an enchanted pickaxe. His eyes drift up to the owner and he feels a burst of confusion, “Hey, guys?” He says as he begins walking towards the person, intrigued. 

The bickering behind him stops, but Karl’s attention remains on the figure he’s getting closer to. 

“Who’s that?” Sapnap says from behind him, Karl only shrugging in response before quickening his pace to catch up with the person. He gets closer and finally sees who it is, “Ranboo?” 

The enderman hybrid pauses but doesn’t turn. The way he is standing and how he is dragging his pickaxe behind him makes Karl feel uneasy, “You okay, man?” He asks, stepping around him in order to see his face. 

He pauses mid step when he finally catches sight of it. Ranboo’s eyes are glazed over and unfocused, his eyelids closed slightly. “Ranboo?” Karl asks again, reaching his hand out to tap the boy’s shoulder. 

“Is that Ranboo?” Quackity’s voice reaches him as the two seemingly appear next to Karl, causing him to jump a little in surprise, “Y-yeah but I don’t know if he’s, uh, if he’s awake?”

“What, is he like sleepwalking or something?” Sapnap asks, scratching his chin as he stares on at Ranboo. Karl shrugs again, “Dunno,” He mutters, his eyes drifting down to the broken pickaxe being dragged on the ground, “Was he like… sleep-mining?” 

Quackity scoffs, “Is that even a thing?” Sapnap follows Karl’s gaze, “I guess for Ranboo. Here, let me see something,” He reaches down and gently takes the pickaxe from Ranboo’s hand, the hybrid’s fingers twitching slightly as he did. 

“What are you doing?” Karl asks, shivering from the cold as he watches Sapnap turn the pickaxe over in his hands. He squints down at it, “A pickaxe typically has some sort of residue from what they were mining left over on them, I’m just trying to see what he was doing.” 

“Shouldn’t we just wake him up and ask him?” Quackity asks, reaching out to poke the boy but is stopped by Karl, “I don’t think we’re supposed to just wake up sleepwalkers.” 

Quackity looks at him, “Really?” Again, Karl shrugs, “I mean, I don’t really know but it seems… right?” Quackity opens his mouth to respond to Karl, but is cut off by Sapnap, “Obsidian and… blackstone?” 

“Huh?” Quackity says, turning to the other. Sapnap holds up his hand, which is now coated in some sort of black residue, “He was mining obsidian and blackstone, it’s all over it.”

Karl and Quackity exchange a glance, “So he was mining in the nether?” Karl asks, his gaze drifting over to the one in question, who was still standing frozen in place, eyes dazed.

Shaking his head, Sapnap walks over until he’s standing in front of Ranboo, looking him up and down skeptically, “No… there's no nether portal in the direction he was coming from…” His eyes drift over to look down where Ranboo had appeared from, his eyes flashing as an idea crosses his mind. 

Karl catches it and walks over to stand next to Sapnap, trying to follow his line of sight, “What are you thinking, then?” 

Sapnap huffs, his face twisted in confusion, “It’s… he couldn’t be though, right?” 

“The fuck are you talking about, Sap?” Quackity asks, crossing his arms over himself as a cold breeze blows over them, “Jesus it’s cold as hell out here!” He curses against the wind. 

Running a hand through his hair, Sapnap begins to explain, “I just… since there’s no nether portal over there, it only leaves one place he could’ve been coming from. A place that is built entirely out of obsidian and blackstone.” Karl’s mind turns as Sapnap speaks slowly, his eyes flashing back and forth between Ranboo and where he had been walking from. 

Karl squints into the distance and then feels a chill run down his spine, one that didn’t come from the cold. “He came from the prison,” He says, almost to himself. 

Turning to him, Sapnap nods, “And what the hell was he doing there?” 

The three stare at each other, the realisation of what Ranboo had been doing slowly settling in on them. Quackity is the first to break the silence, “Are you really saying that Ranboo is trying to break into the prison? The inescapable, unable to be broken into prison? Really?” He gives them an astonished look, his face flushed from the cold. 

“It is the only thing we’ve got right now- but then again we haven’t heard what he has to say so-” Sapnap starts but then Quackity interrupts him, “So then we wake him up then!” He practically shouts as he steps forward and shakes Ranboo’s shoulders, “Hey! Wake up!” 

“Quackity!” Karl yells, surprised at how violently he’s shaking the boy. He quickly steps in between them and pushes Quackity off, “You don’t need to be like that!” 

Quackity’s eyes widen, “Oh really? Really, Karl? I don’t need to be like that? How-how blind can you be, okay? This isn’t the first time Ranboo has betrayed us and I am sick of not being able to trust anybody and-”

“Woah, woah, woah!” Karl holds his hands up, cutting Quackity off, “Ranboo never betrayed anyone! Dream is a liar and you know it! We can’t trust anything he said- especially that of who betrayed who! You of all people should know that!” 

Breathing in deeply and shaking slightly, Quackity’s face went red, “Whatever, okay? I never wanted to trust him and I still don’t- look if you want to deal with-with this-” He motions at Ranboo aggressively before stepping back, “Then be my guest! But I am done, alright? I’m done!” And with that Quackity turned and stormed away, his head down. 

“Quackity!” Karl calls after him, his heart racing as he watches Quackity walk away. He goes to follow him but a hand on his shoulder stops him, “Let him. You know how he gets about all of this… it hurts him more than he’ll ever show,” Sapnap says quietly in his ear, his eyes trained on the shrinking form of their fiance. 

Karl’s shoulders fall, “I know… I still hate it, though.”

“Me too,” Sapnap mutters, watching for a moment longer before turning back to Ranboo, who was now blinking and looking around, a confused and panicked expression on his face. “Oh, hey,” Sapnap says, bringing Karl’s attention back to the hybrid, his thoughts still scrambled. 

“Ranboo?” Karl asks, turning and walking slowly towards the boy, who snaps his gaze to Karl, the evident fear in his eyes pulling at Karl’s heart, “Hey… hey, it’s alright. You’re okay,” He walks closer to him, his hands out slightly. 

Shaking his head and stepping back a bit, Ranboo continues looking around, “N-no, I… how-how did I get here?” He asks no one in particular, his eyes still darting back and forth across everything surrounding him. 

“We think you were sleepwalking,” Sapnap answers, a slight edge to his voice that Karl doesn’t miss. Ranboo fidgets with his hands, “Sleepwalking?” He repeats, his gaze still unfocused. 

Karl nods, “Yeah, do you remember anything?” He’s not sure if they’ll be able to get anything out of Ranboo tonight but he tries anyway, the need for answers itching inside of him. Ranboo shakes his head, running his hands over his face but then freezes, “Wait- where’s my- my pickaxe?” He looks around wildly. 

“Oh- here, I was looking at it,” Sapnap says, handing it over to the boy, who takes it but then frowns down at its broken form, “That’s weird,” He mutters. 

“How so?” Karl questions. Looking back up at him, Karl can feel as though he can see the thoughts spiraling through Ranboo’s head, “Well, it uh, it wasn’t broken when I went to sleep s-so I- it’s just weird, you know?” 

Sapnap hums, “So you really have no idea what you were doing- or even mining?” 

“N-no. I usually don’t when I sleepwalk, which is um, it’s annoying… to say the least,” Ranboo trails off, scratching the back of his neck as his eyes flick around for an exit from the confrontation. Karl feels bad for him, knowing the feeling all too well of having blank spots in your memory and wanting nothing more than to just remember and understand. 

Karl steps closer, this time Ranboo doesn’t try to retreat, “Well… since you don’t remember, do you want us to tell you what we think you were doing? It might help…?” 

Ranboo squints at him for a second, then nods ever so slightly. Karl breathes in, “We- well actually Sapnap, looked at your pickaxe and found residue of obsidian and blackstone. At first I thought it was from the nether maybe but if you look at the direction you were coming from,” Karl points and Ranboo looks back at where he wanted him to, 

“You can see that you were coming from the prison… which is made entirely out of obsidian and blackstone,” Karl’s voice gets quieter and trails off when he notices the visible tension build up in Ranboo, the hybrid’s hands shaking slightly as he stares off into the distance.

“Do you know why you would be trying to… mine the prison?” Sapnap asks, his voice monotone, making it evident that all he wanted was a straightforward answer. Karl looks to the boy, ready for him to respond, but is only met with his trembling form. He blinks at the quiet sounds of an enderman emitting through the air, slight purple particles floating around Ranboo. 

Karl reaches out and touches his arm gently on instinct, “Hey, are you-” His question is cut off as Ranboo yells out at the touch and stumbles backwards, tripping and falling into the frosted grass, his eyes wide and panicked. Karl watches in shock as Ranboo pulls his knees to his chest and begins rocking slightly, “No, no, no, no-please no- I-I got rid of it, please I got rid of it-” He mutters to himself on repeat, as if he were a broken record stuck on a track. 

Sapnap and Karl exchange a glance of worry before Karl steps forward and kneels down next to Ranboo, who doesn’t seem to even notice that he’s there, “Ranboo. Ranboo, what’s wrong?” Karl asks softly, trying not to alarm him. 

He continues rocking and muttering to himself, unaware that now both Sapnap and Karl are kneeling next to him, “I got rid of it- I got rid of him, please no.. no no no, what do I do? What do I do- What did I do? He can’t still- no.. no…” He sounds like he’s on the verge of tears and Karl looks over to Sapnap, at a complete loss of how to help him. 

Sapnap shares the same helplessness but still tries to help in the only way he knows how. He reaches out and takes hold of Ranboo’s hand, squeezing it three times before speaking in what he tried to be a steady voice, “Ranboo? Ranboo, listen to me. Listen to my voice. Whatever is happening in your head, I need you to let it go, okay? Just listen to my voice and try to block out everything else. I know you can do it- just block out everything and listen. Ranboo, listen,” The more Sapnap spoke, the steadier his voice became, surprising not only Karl, but also himself. 

Karl stared at Sapnap in wonder, unaware of this side of him. As Sapnap finishes speaking, Karl notices that the muttering from Ranboo has stopped as well. He looks over to the boy and finds him staring up at Sapnap, his eyes shining with unshed tears. 

Sapnap stares back and squeezes Ranboo’s hand three times again, “You back with us, buddy? Can you squeeze my hand if you are?” Karl looks down at the pair's hands and watches as Ranboo squeezes back tightly, holding onto Sapnap’s hand as if it were an anchor to reality, “Good… that’s really good, Ranboo.”

Ranboo lets out a shaky breath, his form relaxing ever so slightly as he regains his bearings, looking around as if he were just noticing for the first time where he was, “I…” He starts, his voice small, “Sorry… I didn’t mean to… um…” He looks down, pulling his hand away in favor of folding his hands in his lap. 

“Hey… it’s okay, really. You don’t have to be sorry about anything,” Karl speaks softly to him, actively aware of the volume of his voice and body language so as to not startle him again. Ranboo snaps his head up to Karl, “No, that’s just it. I-I do- I just-” His breath hitches, the sound making Karl instinctively place a comforting hand on Ranboo’s shoulder, the sudden action causing him to worry for a second that he had made a wrong choice, but the worry subsides when Ranboo leans into it. 

“You just what? It’s okay if you can’t tell us right now, so don’t- don’t push yourself,” Sapnap tells him, the sudden change in his voice from almost annoyed to now overly concerned surprises Karl. Ranboo shakes his head, “N-no… it’s okay, really- I just have a hard time remembering, i-is all,” He shivers as another gust of wind blows past them, chilling the air even more. 

“Hold on. How about we get somewhere warm, yeah? Then we can talk a-and try to help you out, Ranboo,” Karl says, standing and reaching his hand out for the younger to take. Ranboo hesitates for a moment before taking it and allowing Karl to help him up, “T-thanks,” He mumbles, shrinking in on himself ever so slightly. Karl nods and offers him a smile before leading him and Sapnap back to the library, it being the closest building to where they were. 

-

After settling Ranboo down in a chair with a warm cup of tea, Karl gently prompts him to continue, “A-and I don’t want this to feel like we’re interrogating you or anything, okay? We just want to help a-and understand, is all. I promise,” Karl explains and feels a sense of satisfaction as Ranboo nods, appearing much more relaxed than before. 

“You can go ahead whenever you’re ready,” Sapnap tells him, sipping his own tea. The library offers a sense of safety and comfortableness, that of which Karl sinks into as Ranboo clears his throat, “W-well, I’ve always had memory problems but ever since I got here it’s gotten… worse. So much worse,” He runs a hand over his face before taking a deep breath, “I don’t really know when I started sleepwalking but I usually am able to tell whenever I do. Lately my ways of knowing have been that all of my tools are lower than when they were before I went to sleep a-and sometimes I’ll wake up in an entirely different place from where I went to bed.” 

He looks up at Sapnap and Karl, unsure of if he should go on. Karl motions for him to continue and Ranboo nods, “I-I don’t know why I would be breaking into the prison- I don’t want to be doing that, if I am. That’s the last thing I’d ever want to do because Dream deserves to be in there for what he did,” Karl feels Sapnap tense up beside him at the mention of the name, “and I don’t want to aid him in any way- okay? I would never willingly do that. But… there is a part of me that makes me think… maybe it does have something to do with him?” 

“What do you mean by that?” Sapnap asks, the edge in his voice present again but still overpowered by the concern he has for the younger boy. Ranboo looks up at him, a knowingness in his eyes of Sapnap’s relationship with Dream, “I-I don’t know if I should- should tell you…” He trails off, placing his head in his hands, “It’s just all so confusing,” His voice is muffled but Karl doesn’t miss the way it breaks. 

“Ranboo, I know this is hard, but what you know could help us help you so… whatever you think is important you can tell us, okay?” Karl tells him gently, his chest tightening as he watches Ranboo squirm in his seat, searching for how to word his next sentences. 

He takes in a shuddering breath, “I hear a voice,” He blurts out, his hands tightening around his cup. 

“A voice?” Karl asks, his curiosity growing along with his worry. Ranboo nods, his leg bouncing now, “Y-yeah, I-I thought that I had gotten rid of it but it turns out I haven’t which is, you know, it’s just great,” He huffs in frustration, “But the weirdest thing about the voice is that it-it sounds like, um, well-” He motions around with his hand, his other gripped so tightly around the cup that Karl thinks for a second that he might shatter it. 

“Who does the voice sound like?” Sapnap asks slowly, bringing Ranboo’s gaze over to meet his own. The younger swallows, “It sounds like Dream.” 

The room goes still. 

Sapnap shakes his head a little, “W-what?” 

“I-I know. I know how weird that is but I just- I don’t know why it sounds like him because I’ve never even really talked to him so it doesn’t make sense why it’s his voice constantly haunting me and telling me that I’ve done all of these terrible things-” His voice goes quiet and he buries his head in his hands, his shoulders shaking ever so slightly. 

Karl looks over at Sapnap, expecting to see some form of anger, but is instead met with his fiance simply staring down on Ranboo, his expression sad. Reaching over and taking his hand, Karl whispers to him, “What are you thinking?” 

Sapnap blinks suddenly and it’s only then that Karl notices the unshed tears flooding his eyes, “Sapnap?” 

“Is it Dream, though?” Sapnap asks, his voice quiet, “Like, is it actually him?”

Ranboo sits up slightly, still hunched in on himself, “I-I don’t think so? For a bit I thought it was but… it told me it wasn’t…” He sits up a little more, scoffing at himself, “Then again, all it ever seems to do is lie to me, so who knows,” His words are laced with venom and Karl can tell that he says them before he thinks. Ranboo’s eyes widen the second his words leave his mouth. 

He looks up at Sapnap in a panic, “I didn’t mean to say that-” But Sapnap is already standing. 

“Sap-” Karl starts, worried for a second of what he’s going to do. Rambo tenses in his chair and shrinks into it, “I-I’m sorry, really, I didn’t mean to say- to make it sound like it’s actually D-” 

“Dream is capable of a lot of things. Lately it has been proven that he is capable of more and far worse things than I could’ve ever imagined,” Sapnap’s words come out choked, his eyes still clouded with tears. He looks over to Ranboo, his expression sad, “If he has anything to do with what is happening to you, then I promise you I will find out.” Karl blinks in shock at Sapnap’s tone, having never really quite heard him speak of Dream with such venom in his voice before. 

“Wait, where are you going?” Karl asks, grabbing Sapnap’s arm as he starts walking away. Sapnap turns back to him and gently pries his hand off, “I need to go talk to him,” He says quietly before opening the door to the library and disappearing into the night. 

The pair are left in silence as the door swings closed, cutting them off from the chilling air. Karl crosses his arms over himself and turns back to Ranboo, who is staring at the closed door, his eyes wide. He slowly looks over to Karl, “I wasn’t-”

“It’s okay, Ranboo,” Karl tells him softly, walking over and patting his arm, “You didn’t do anything wrong, I promise.” Ranboo shrinks down further into his seat, the way he is positioning himself tells Karl all too much that he had never received this kind of… comfort before. 

It breaks his heart. Karl gently squeezes Ranboo’s shoulder, “You’ve had a long night, why don’t you try to get some sleep? I’ll stay awake and make sure you don’t sleepwalk away, okay?” Ranboo sits up abruptly, “Oh no, you don’t have to do that, I don’t want to be a bother-”

“It’s no problem at all. Honestly,” Karl reassures him as he takes his seat on the chair across from him, “Get some sleep, I’ll be here when you wake up,” He offers Ranboo a smile, a warm feeling growing inside him when Ranboo returns a small smile of his own before sinking back down into the plush cushions of the chair. 

Karl watches as he curls in on himself comfortably before his eyelids drift closed, his breathing slowing just a couple of minutes later. Karl’s heart breaks for the boy, thinking of how utterly exhausted he must have been, not just from his sleepless nights, but also from having to keep all of that inside of him for so long. 

He listens to the quiet snores as he looks over at the door, waiting for Sapnap to return through it. 

-

Sapnap stares at the wall of lava before him, his fists clenched at his sides as he waits for it to lower. 

“Just keep looking forward, the lava will be down in a moment,” Sam says from behind him, his voice stern. Sapnap nods, uneasiness building up in his gut. 

Thoughts of what might happen race through his mind, cursing himself internally for thinking the worst. He shakes his head, trying to get the trembling in his body to stop. As the first bit of lava begins lowering, Sapnap holds his breath, realising just then how unprepared he is for what he’s going to see. 

“Alright, when the lava lowers, you’ll have to move with the platform in order to reach the prisoner,” Sam explains, the sounds of flicking levers and buttons echoing behind him. Sapnap nods, “Okay, Sam.”

The lava seems to fall all too slowly as the anxiety tightens Sapnap’s chest. A part of him is telling him to get a grip, this is his best friend, why is he so worried?

His best friend. 

Well, his best friend that told him all too bluntly that he didn’t care about him.

Sapnap feels the air catch in his throat when the lava finally completely falls, revealing the hanging cell in the middle of the room. The room itself was huge and filled with so much to look at but all Sapnap could focus on was the bit of green visible behind the netherite wall. 

“Go ahead and move with the platform. I’ll bring you back whenever you’re ready,” Sam tells him, activating a lever that begins moving the platform across the lava moat. Sapnap walks with it, his heart beating faster and faster with each step. The green gets closer and closer, more and more visible. 

A sick feeling settles in Sapnap’s stomach and he wishes more than anything that it would go away. The platform jolts to a halt and Sapnap steps off, now only a couple of feet away from Dream, who has his back turned. 

“I’m lowering the lava and then you two will be left alone to talk,” Sam’s voice echoes through the earpiece he had given Sapnap, who only nods in response, feeling the heat of the lava as it is lowered back down. He turns back to it, watching as the wall of fire closes off the only entrance, and the only exit to the small cell. 

Sapnap looks back to Dream, blinking as he notices that the netherite barrier is now gone and he is free to approach his friend. 

Is friend the right word?

Shaking his head from the thought, Sapnap steps forward over the lowered barrier, his heart pounding loudly in his ears. His hands twitch at his sides so he clenches them into tight fists, searching for what to say. 

“H-hey,” He cringes at the shake in his voice. Dream stops writing in the book he was holding and sets it down, taking his time closing the cover and placing it back in his chest. Sapnap holds his breath as Dream turns to face him slowly. 

The two stare at each other and Sapnap can’t help the utter raw emotion building up in his chest. It feels like he can’t breathe but he also can’t look away from the face staring back at him. 

The face that he used to recognize so well… but now he can’t even begin to remember the man it once belonged to. 

It hurts more than he thought it would. 

“Hello,” Dream says to him, his voice cold. 

An awkward and tense silence settles between them, Sapnap regretting even coming in the first place, thinking of how it probably should’ve been Karl- anybody but him. 

Dream clears his throat, looking down at his nail bed, “Well, are you gonna say something or are we just going to stare at one another until Sam comes and gets you?” His tone has an edge to it that runs deep. 

“I-I do have something to say, actually,” Sapnap stutters, inwardly cursing his sudden inability to speak. Huffing, Dream leans against his chest of books, “What is it, then?”

Sapnap folds his arms over himself, looking over Dream. He had noticeable bags under his eyes and his scars seem more prominent now than ever. Sapnap notices that his mask is nowhere in sight and almost laughs. 

“What happened to you?” He asks, his voice quieter than he meant for it to be. As the words leave his mouth, he sees a flash of emotion cross Dream’s face, but it’s so quick that Sapnap thinks he imagined it.

“What do you mean?” Dream asks, his head lolling to the side as if he were bored. Suddenly angry, Sapnap takes a step forward, “You know exactly what I mean, Dream. What the hell happened to you?” 

“I grew up,” Dream shot at him, his voice loud. He leans off of the chest and takes a step towards Sapnap as well, “It just seems like you didn’t- or better yet, you couldn’t.” 

Sapnap steps back and Dream chuckles, “You always were too weak… too scared…” 

“That’s not true,” Sapnap snaps, urging himself to at least try to hide how unnerved he was.

Dream scoffs, “Riiiight, like that’s believable.” 

Sapnap shakes his head, “I- you know what? No, okay? This isn’t what I came here for.”

“Oh, well then please enlighten me on what you did come here for, Sapnap,” Dream’s words come out with the intent to hurt, but the way his voice wavers portrays something different. Sapnap catches it but shakes it off, “I need to talk to you about… someone who I think you may be hurting… in some way,” He cringes again at the way he stumbled over the words. 

Dream blinks at him, “Oookay… who might that be?” 

“Ranboo,” Sapnap states, feeling a glint of satisfaction when Dream stands up straighter, not even trying to hide his interest at the mere mention of the name.

“What about him?” Dream asks.

Sapnap almost smiles, “Oh come on now, Dream. Let’s not play dumb, you know exactly why I’m asking about him.” The feeling that he finally has Dream where he wants him fades as soon as it comes when Dream’s expression twitches. 

The change is so drastic and fast that it’s almost like it was two- 

No. No, that’s crazy. 

But how different the two expressions were grows the uneasiness in Sapnap’s gut… almost to a point of fear. Dream’s expression seems to change again for a split second and this time Sapnap steps back, “What are you doing?” He asks, surprised at the sudden fear he’s feeling. 

Dream stares at him, “What do you mean?” His voice wavers again, sounding almost as if it were… glitching. Sapnap points at his face, “You keep, um…” Sapnap swallows and trails off, the way Dream is staring at him cuts him off, “Stop looking at me like that.” 

“Like what?” The corner of Dream’s mouth twitches up, his head tilting to the side as he walks towards Sapnap, who can’t bring himself to look away from Dream. Sapnap’s eyes widen as Dream gets closer, letting out a gasp as his back hits the wall, pulling his gaze away abruptly. 

Sapnap grips onto the wall with one hand as he stares at the ground, the image of Dream’s expression circling through his mind. The way it just looked so entirely off and just… not his at all. 

“What are you doing to Ranboo?” Sapnap asks, his eyes still glued to the ground. The footsteps stop, scuffing against the floor. 

“Ranboo…” Dream mutters, “He is quite interesting isn’t he?” 

Sapnap finds himself unable to look back at the older, “You didn’t answer my question.” 

“Well, I would love to but… you know I’d really appreciate it if you would look at me, Sapnap,” Dream’s voice sounds off as he speaks, almost as if there were two people speaking. Sapnap squeezes his eyes shut, the uneasiness making him slightly nauseous. 

“Look at me, Sapnap,” Dream says, his voice louder and closer. Sapnap feels his breath hitch, pressing himself against the wall as he slowly turns his head up to look at Dream. He opens his eyes to Dream towering over him, wearing an expression that is not his own. 

Sapnap yells out and stumbles to the side, falling to his knees as he covers his eyes. He feels his breath catch in his throat, the only thing his mind can focus on being that of Dream’s face. 

Or really the fact that it wasn’t his at all. 

It was different, so terrifyingly different and just not Dream at all, especially the eyes. 

The eyes that did not belong to his friend. 

“Oh come on now, Sapnap, what was-” Dream’s condescending words were cut off with a yell, one so abrupt and pained that Sapnap can’t help the way his head snaps up, just in time to see Dream reeling to the side, his head in his hands, “Stop it!” He shouts, stumbling over his feet. 

Sapnap stares at him, frozen on the ground in shock. “Dream?” He asks on instinct, a chill running up his spine as Dream freezes and stands up straight, smoothing out his shirt. He turns towards Sapnap and smiles. 

Sapnap shrinks against the wall. 

That isn’t Dream’s smile. 

“Sorry about that,” Dream runs a hand through his hair, “I guess he didn’t like what I was doing.” Sapnap blinks in confusion. 

He?

“He?” He asks, staring up at Dream, who’s smile instantly falls off of his face. He lets out a long sigh, his head tilting towards the ceiling, “Damn… and I was doing so well, too.” 

Sapnap stands up shakily, using the wall to support himself, “What do you mean?” 

Dream looks over at him, his eyes flashing, “Well… I would tell you, but I suppose I should let him do it.” 

“What does-” Sapnap begins but his words catch in his throat as Dream screams before falling to the ground, his head in his hands. His body spasms on the ground for a second before going still, leaving Dream curled in on himself. His unsteady breathing is all that is heard in the small cell. 

“Dream!” Sapnap can’t help the way he instinctively rushes forward, skidding to his knees by his friend, reaching out and taking hold of his shoulder, “Are you okay?” He asks urgently, all of the fear and uneasiness from before replaced with the worry and confusion he was now feeling. 

Under Sapnap’s touch, Dream slowly relaxes, his breathing slowing down to a steady pace as he stares ahead. His eyes are open but Sapnap is unsure if he’s actually seeing anything. Giving his shoulder a slight shake, Sapnap tries again, “Dream?” 

His friend rolls over on his back, his trembling hand taken up in Sapnap’s almost immediately. Dream’s eyes slowly drift over to Sapnap’s, the brokenness of them pulling at the younger’s heart, “Pandas?” 

The mention of the old nickname brings hot tears to Sapnap’s eyes, “Y-yeah, I’m here. I’m here,” His voice comes out choked with the emotion tightening in his chest. Dream lets out a laugh mixed with a sob as he sits up and pulls Sapnap into a hug. 

He freezes under the touch but then returns the action a moment later, realising just then how long it had been since they had hugged. Sapnap sinks into it, burying his head into Dream’s shoulder. 

The two sat like that for a long time, hundreds of questions racing through Sapnap’s head as he held onto his friend, closing his eyes and wanting nothing more for him to open them and the two of them to be back at the Community House. Just them and George laughing and building the brick structure without a care in the world. 

Dream’s body shakes and Sapnap is brought back to reality by the stifled cries. He pulls back slightly, still holding onto Dream’s arms, “Hey… what- what happened?” 

Shaking his head, Dream doesn’t meet Sapnap’s eyes, “I didn’t- I didn’t mean it-” His breath hitches with a sob, “Please, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry, I didn’t- I never wanted this.” 

For a second Sapnap takes his cries as a need for pity, but the way Dream holds himself and how his voice shakes tells Sapnap that it wasn’t. Feelings of confusion and concern coarse through him, “Dream… what do you mean, I-I don’t understand…” 

Dream slowly lifts his head, allowing Sapnap to look at him. His heart drops as he looks back at the face staring up at him. It shows nothing but a broken man. 

A broken man that he finally recognizes. 

“What happened to you?” Sapnap whispers the same question from before, but this time it had no malice behind it. 

Dream shakes his head, “I don’t- I didn’t mean for any of this to happen, I swear. I never wanted it to go like this- I didn’t even know it was there-” He cut himself off with a deep breath in, an action that Sapnap recognizes as an attempt to calm himself down. 

“What was there? What- Dream, I don’t understand,” Sapnap can feel the frustration at his helplessness to do anything about Dream’s state. He holds onto his friend’s arms tighter, not knowing what else to do. 

To Sapnap’s relief, Dream reciprocates the action, holding onto him like he’s the only thing holding him to reality. Taking in a shaky breath, Dream looks up at Sapnap, “The mask,” He states simply, his voice quiet.

Sapnap blinks, “The mask? What about it?” 

“It… do you remember when I found it?” Dream asks, his eyes darting around the room and over his shoulder as if he were looking out for something.

“Yeah, but it was forever ago how could-” Sapnap starts but Dream cuts him off, his words spilling out of his mouth, “It wasn’t just a mask. Sure, when I found it that’s all I saw but after wearing it for a while I started- I started hearing this, like this voice that seemed like it was in my head, you know?” Dream had started motioning around with his hand and talking as though he were running out of time, “And at first I thought it was cool but then I started hearing it even without the mask and then it just got worse and worse and-” 

“Woah, woah, Dream, slow down. Slow down, man,” Sapnap urges his friend, rubbing his hands up and down his arms, “Just take a deep breath, it’s okay-” He tries but Dream interrupts him again, “No! No, it- it’s not okay, this voice, this thing, it- I’m not in control! Sapnap, I’m not in control!” Dream’s voice had risen with panic and his eyes were wide. 

The pure fear in his voice didn’t help the uneasiness that was already boiling inside of Sapnap. Seeing his closest friend like this and having absolutely no idea what to do, let alone what was even happening to him filled Sapnap with overwhelming amounts of helplessness. 

“Dream, I… what can I do? How do I help you?” Sapnap asks, his voice wavering. 

Dream stops looking around and stares directly at Sapnap, his breathing hitching. His eyes were flooded with tears and Sapnap could feel what he was going to say before he even said it. Dream held on tighter to Sapnap’s arms, “Kill me.” 

Immediately, Sapnap was shaking his head, “No. No, okay? I won’t do that, I won’t-”

“You have to! Please, you have no idea what this- this thing can do, please! You have to-” Dream begs but Sapnap pulls himself away and stands up, hot tears sparking in his eyes, “I won’t! Don’t you dare ask me that, don’t you dare!” He shouts, his voice breaking. 

Scrambling to his feet, Dream takes hold of Sapnap’s trembling hands, “Sapnap, look at me, please just listen,” Reluctantly, Sapnap slowly meets Dream’s gaze, “I- I don’t have control over what it does. Everything that has happened- Everything all the way back to the first- the first war, Sapnap! That was it- the want- the need for chaos- that’s not me! It’s never been me, I promise! Just,” Dream takes in a breath and squeezes Sapnap’s hands, “If I ever get out… promise me that you’ll do it.”

Sapnap shakes his head, the tears finally falling, “Dream-”

“Promise me!” Dream shouts, his voice cracking. Sapnap looks at him, his heart breaking with the mere thought that he would even ask him that. Dream’s shoulders shake and tears roll down his face before he pulls Sapnap into a hug. 

Burying his face in Dream’s shoulder, Sapnap whispers, “I can’t… please, you know I can’t.” He holds on tighter to his best friend, his hands tangling the fabric of his shirt in his fists. 

Dream pulls him impossibly closer, “Sapnap… I would rather die than allow this thing to do what it has planned… please…” His voice is so quiet that Sapnap barely catches the way it breaks. 

He sounds so tired. 

Breathing out slowly, Sapnap pulls back and meets Dream’s eyes, “I will,” He chokes out. 

Closing his eyes, more tears spill down Dream’s cheeks as he sighs out in relief, “Thank you.”

“But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to try and figure out how to help you, Dream. I- I’m not giving up on you, alright? I never will,” Sapnap finds that his voice is stronger than it has been his entire visit, the need to save his friend fueling inside of him. 

Dream’s face twists with emotion, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. The two stare at one another in understanding before Dream steps back suddenly with a gasp, his gaze dropping to the floor as his eyes widen. 

“Dream?” Sapnap asks, stepping towards his friend, who immediately looks up, his hands out to stop him, “No! No, y-you need to go. Sapnap, you have to go!” His yells, urgency and fear coating his voice. 

Shaking his head, Sapnap steps closer to him, “Dream, what? No, why-” 

“You have to go!” Dream shouts, stopping Sapnap in his tracks. 

Sapnap stares at him, the fear in his friend's eyes evident. He gets a sinking feeling in his gut, “N-no, I can’t- Dream, I can’t just leave you like this, please. What can I do? How can I help?” He tries to reach out to him but Dream steps away, his back running into the far wall. 

“You can go. Please. That’s how you can help me- just go,” His voice is shaking now and the sight of Dream’s trembling form filled Sapnap with fiery anger for the thing that was taking over his friend. 

Sapnap hesitates, but the way Dream is holding himself and how his breaths are coming out in short gasps tells Sapnap how hard he’s trying to keep whatever’s inside of him at bay, “Okay. Okay, I’ll go but- I promise that I’ll be back. I promise,” Sapnap’s voice cracks as he lifts his hand to the earpiece, getting ready to let Sam know he has to leave. 

But just as he goes to activate it, Dream falls to his knees with a scream of pain, his head in his hands. Sapnap instinctively moves to help him but Dream shoots his hand out, “No! No, just go!” His words come out strangled, his entire body shaking as he struggles to breathe. 

Sapnap finds himself rooted to the spot, his chest tight as he stares unblinkingly at Dream, the urge to do nothing but help him almost overpowering. But the urgency in Dream’s voice echoes in his mind, the thought of how badly he needs him to leave is what pushes him to finally activate the earpiece, “Sam, I need to go, now.” 

A beat and then, “Alright, the lava will be down in a minute.” 

Sapnap turns away from Dream, hot tears in his eyes as he stares at the blurred lava, his chest pounding in his ears. He clenches his fists at his sides, trying to block out Dream’s sounds of pain from behind him. 

His ears ring as the room goes silent. Sapnap finds himself slowly looking over his shoulder, his heart racing so fast he’s sure he might collapse. He turns, yelling out at what he’s met with. 

Dream is standing directly behind him, his head tilted to the side as he stares down at him. Sapnap stumbles back from the shock, his shoulder hitting the wall of lava, letting off an angry hissing sound. He shouts from the impact but his voice is cut off from the hand around his neck. Sapnap tries to shout as he is lifted off of the ground and slammed into the wall.

“You really think you can stop me?” Dream hisses in his face, his voice low. Sapnap struggles for a breath, feeling nothing but overwhelming terror as he stares back at Dream, his eyes wide. He kicks his legs in an effort to escape, but that only causes Dream’s hold to tighten, “You have no idea what I am- You have no idea what I can do so don’t think for even a second that you’ll be able to stop me!” 

Black dots swim across Sapnap’s vision, creating dark figures that dance in the edges of his eyes. His head feels like it’s about to explode as he grips onto Dream’s wrist. 

“Please…” He chokes out, feeling hot tears fall down his face. 

Dream laughs, “Really? Begging? You know, I expected more from you. Especially with learning all about you from your friends' memories. I just-” His words are cut off with a yell before he is sent flying to the back of the cell. 

Sapnap falls to the ground, finally able to take in a breath. His body racks with coughing as his head pounds from the lack of air. 

“What are you doing?” Sam yells, his trident positioned at Dream, who stares up at him from the ground with a smile, “Aw, come on now, Sammy, we were just having fun-" His voice dies mid sentence as Sam shoots something at him, causing his body to go limp and slump to the side. 

Sapnap grips onto the wall as he tries to stand, his vision swimming with the effort. He stares at Dream’s unconscious form, his breathing still uneven. 

Sam approaches him and helps him stand, pulling one of his arms over his shoulder as he leads him over to the platform. He doesn’t speak as they cross back over the lava moat, the silence continuing as they pass through the prison. As they walk, Sapnap slowly recovers his breath along with his thoughts. 

The moment they’re at the prison exit, Sam turns to him, his warden front dropped, “Are you okay?” He asks, concern coating his voice. 

Sapnap nods, his hand reaching up to gently touch his throat, “Yeah,” His voice comes out strained. 

“What happened in there? I thought you two were close- why was-” Sam starts but Sapnap cuts him off, “Sam, thank you for what you did but I- I gotta go, I promise I’ll explain, I just… I have to go, I’m sorry,” His voice is scratchy and broken as he speaks, but Sapnap is already turning and walking away before he can catch Sam’s reaction. 

His mind was spinning as he tried to process what had just happened inside the prison. 

What had happened to his friend. 

How long had he been like this..

How he could fix it…

Sapnap stops and turns towards the prison, his chest tight. He takes in a shaking breath, hot tears blurring his vision. Reaching into his pocket, he pulls out a folded up piece of paper. He unfolds it gently, his fingers trembling as he stares down at it. Looking back up at the prison, Sapnap holds the picture to his chest, the memory of it one he holds close to his heart. 

His mind circles back to what Dream had said to him and his throat tightens. He stares at the prison a moment longer before nodding at it, “I promise,” He whispers, the tears finally falling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh it got a little eh at the end but yay chapter 2! Theres so much more to come and we'll be seeing more characters soon, woohoo!  
> Feel free to tell me what you think !  
> :D

**Author's Note:**

> :)  
> What did you guys think?  
> If you liked it feel free to comment and tell me what you liked and possible theories?  
> Hope all is good with you all !!


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